Review: Heartless by Marissa Meyer

Title: Heartless
Author: Marissa Meyer
Publisher: Pan Macmillan Children’s
Original Release Date: February 9th 2017
Pages: 464
Read it in: 2 Weeks
Source: For Review

Synopsis: Goodreads

Long before she was the terror of Wonderland—the infamous Queen of Hearts—she was just a girl who wanted to fall in love.

Long before she was the terror of Wonderland, she was just a girl who wanted to fall in love. Catherine may be one of the most desired girls in Wonderland, and a favorite of the unmarried King of Hearts, but her interests lie elsewhere. A talented baker, all she wants is to open a shop with her best friend. But according to her mother, such a goal is unthinkable for the young woman who could be the next queen.

Then Cath meets Jest, the handsome and mysterious court joker. For the first time, she feels the pull of true attraction. At the risk of offending the king and infuriating her parents, she and Jest enter into an intense, secret courtship. Cath is determined to define her own destiny and fall in love on her terms. But in a land thriving with magic, madness, and monsters, fate has other plans.

My Review:

So late in 2015 I finally delve into Marissa Meyer’s worlds with The Lunar Chronicles. And at the end of 2016, I was so lucky to receive a copy of Heartless for review from Macmillan Children’s Books. I love Meyer’s writing. I find it to be believable, and surrounding. When I start reading her work, I find myself completely surrounded by it. Thinking about it when I’m not reading it, being completely sucked into the story when I am… She’s a brilliant writer, and her fairy tale retellings are always amazing.

Heartless is the tale of the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland, before the Queen was the Queen. This tale follows Catherine, a baker, who just so happens to be the woman that the King has his eyes on… But this tale has done something that lately seems to be on trend… Making us feel bad for the bad guys. Because let me tell you, I did not feel bad for the Queen of Hearts at all before reading this book. Even when TV shows tried to convince me otherwise, they failed. Meyer however, told me a story that grabbed my heart and held onto it tightly. I was hooked.

Catherine is a wonderful character, she’s sweet and kind to her maids. She has a dream of opening a bakery with her maid and living a happy life making people happy with her baking creations. However, her parents do not approve of this dream, and instead when the king comes knocking asking for Catherine to be his bride, her parents most definitely approve of that. Okay so it doesn’t happen like, and a lot happens in between, but we know from the start that this is where it’s heading. Catherine’s parents aren’t exactly good at keeping their own opinions to themselves. But there we are, moving on.

Catherine however isn’t the only one in this tale worth a mention… There is Jest… And if you couldn’t tell, he’s a jester. And a damn good one at that. But his character isn’t just about being the court jester, he is also the love interest in this novel, the one that Catherine does actually want to be with.

So, if you’re wondering how this lovely, sweet character turns into the Queen of Hearts, well so was I. I had ideas as to how it would happen, and while I wasn’t entirely wrong, I was still surprised by some of the things Meyer threw at me. Overall, I enjoyed the retelling. And I cannot wait for more of Meyers work. Because seriously, her retellings have become some of my favourite things to read!